Author: Michael Bourgeois

Although in sunny parts of the USA, we get to enjoy our pools nearly year-round, there are a few months between November to March where a pool heater comes in handy. 

But the initial installation of pool heaters can run into the thousands and then there’s the cost in electricity to heat the pool which varies based on the size of your pool, from around 9 kW of energy to 116 kW of energy or more. Then, there are the electricity and gas bills which can cost hundreds per month.

There are alternatives such as solar pool heating, which brings us to the question: “Is solar pool heating worth it?” Let’s find out.

What is solar pool heating?

Solar pool heating is a low-cost alternative to heating your inground or above-ground pool using a heat pump that utilizes expensive and non-renewable energy such as electricity or gas to heat the water. 

Solar pool heaters use the sun’s heat to heat your pool for free (except the cost of installation, of course). 

Solar thermal panels are usually installed on the roof of your home, shed, garage, or ground-mounted rack. The water is pumped from the pool to the panels using your existing pool pump and the cold water is warmed as it travels through the solar collectors. The warmed water is then pulled by gravity back to your pool.

It’s a simple process and you can set the temperature of your pool. Once the temperature is reached, water will not be pumped to the panels unless it needs to be, which is why it’s so economical.

Each panel has an automatic valve that uses specialized temperature sensors to determine if and when the solar collectors should be used. A manual valve can be used as an alternative, but that’s not recommended.

The only downside to solar pool heating is that it takes a little longer to heat up than using electricity or gas but that’s a small price to pay for the overwhelming benefits otherwise.

What’s the cost of solar pool heating?

We’ve all felt the pinch at the pump for fuel, natural gas, and electricity. Energy costs are going up each year and there’s no sign that they’ll come down any time soon. Not to mention that in the next decade, we need to be moving towards more renewable sources of energy. So, getting ahead of the curve with solar pool heating makes sense. 

The sun’s energy is always free and many pool owners are taking advantage of solar pool heaters and pool blankets not only to save money but also to avoid future energy price increases – and you get a warm pool.

The cost of installing a solar heater is around the same cost of installing an electric or gas one, but the lack of maintenance and monthly costs is where you really save money, which is why many homeowners choose solar: it meets their heating needs and saves them money each year.

How much does it cost to maintain solar pool heating?

Again, installation costs are comparable to conventional fossil fuel heating methods but the operating costs are nil, whereas the operating costs of fossil-fuel heaters depend on the size of your pool and the cost of energy. That can cost you hundreds easily per month. 

That means that solar pool heating pays for itself in around two years.

After that point, you will collect dividends each year with the sun’s free and abundant energy source.

Furthermore, solar equipment lasts over a decade. Our UltraSwim panels have a 12-year warranty, whereas most gas or electric heaters only come with a 2-year warranty. So, you may pay the same price for installation and get only two years out of the heater plus the monthly energy costs and maintenance costs! It’s really a no-brainer.

Gas and electricity heaters need servicing by a qualified technician each year. They can short-circuit or get blocked with foreign particles like dust and break. Solar heating requires few services, which means lower cost to maintain overall – not to mention convenience. You don’t have to wait for a service technician and take precious time off work.

You even save time on installation since solar heating can be up and running in hours instead of days. Fossil-fuel heaters often require additional plumbing and wiring or mains to be added to work, and they can impact nearby grass. The installation can take a few days, depending on your situation, and they take time to get running. With solar heating, the pipes are secured to your roof and home exterior walls and you can start heating your pool as soon as they’re installed.

Overall, solar heating is comparatively eco-friendly, cost-saving, and time-saving.

Is solar pool heating more eco-friendly?

As mentioned, solar pool heating is definitely more eco-friendly than using non-renewable fossil fuel sources. 

Many people have concerns with pool use in general as, when not used in an environmentally-friendly way, they can have deleterious impacts on the environment. Along with reducing harsh chemicals, maintaining your pool filter, using a pool pump timer, and a pool robot, using solar panel heating instead of fossil-fuel heating can make a huge difference.

Replacing a natural gas or propane heater with a solar heater could stop three to ten tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year, which is the same output as a car! 

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What are the benefits of solar pool heating?

There are multiple benefits to solar pool heating. The biggest one is affordability. You can double your swim time and there are no monthly maintenance and operational costs. 

You can also increase your home’s value with solar pool heating and it’s shown to be a net asset dollar for dollar in favor of the homeowner. 

So, in short: yes, solar pool heating is absolutely worth the investment. You’ll reap the benefits for years to come, all while doing your part to save the environment in the process.

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How can I get solar pool heating?

If you want information about solar pool heating, get in touch with Compass Solar today. We have financing options available for your residential solar project needs. We can guide you on the costs of installation and if there are any solar energy loans to help. Solar installation can save you money on your energy bills and help the environment.

The emergence of the solar industry has made an indelible (and growing) impact on the US political system and those in the wider world, shaking up long-standing dynamics. In the context of tackling climate change and furthering the Green Revolution, solar power has a pivotal role to play.

Here, we’ll discuss:

• Why the Growing Solar Industry Is Changing the Political Winds in DC and Beyond
• The Urgency of Addressing Climate Change
• The Indispensable Role of NGOs in Tackling Climate Change and Leading Solar NGOs in the US and Abroad
• What the Average Person Can Do to Contribute to the Green Revolution

Why is the Growing Solar Industry Changing the Political Winds in DC and Beyond?

Massive shifts in public opinion based on the realities of the fossil fuel industry’s enormous contributions to global warming — combined with roughly a trillion dollars in global research each year since the beginning of the 21^st century — have changed the energy game.

Enter the rapidly growing solar industry – tapping the Earth’s one true renewable resource.

In his seminal essay The Politics of the Solar Age: 1975-2015, futurist and evolutionary economist Hazel Henderson identifies three major reasons for the shifting political winds in favor of solar power and away from fossil fuels:

• Increasing consensus over the “growing risks of fossil fuels and nuclear energy, unaccounted rising costs of resource-degradation, waste, pollution health impacts (still ‘externalized’ from company and government accounts)“
•  “pressure on water supplies, collapsing fish stocks, spreading desertification and loss of forests and biodiversity“
•  “the growing recognition of the benefits of the green transition to sustainability in public health and safety, environmental quality, more equitable decentralized technologies—all of which are available and when scaled could provide unlimited sustainable energy for all countries“

Why the Threat of Global Climate Change Demands Immediate Corrective Action With Renewable Energy

Global climate change, which is largely fueled by oil and gas consumption as well as other factors, poses an existential threat to life on Earth. In 1992, the United Nations, the premier international governing body in the world, issued a clarion call for action in its United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) :

“The ultimate objective… [is] the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.

Such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.”

Despite initial commitments from 154 signatories to the Convention, including the US, which later expanded to include all 197 UN member states, international-level cooperation since that initial 1992 call to action has been slower than ideal for reversing the damage caused by fossil fuel emissions and preventing future destruction of the environment.

Slowly, though, the public consciousness of the urgent need to address climate change has grown.

Now, in 2021, even the US Defense Department, which is usually chiefly concerned with geopolitical wrangling between nation-states, has recently weighed in more heavily on the need for corrective action on the climate front:

“Today, no nation can find lasting security without addressing the climate crisis. We face all kinds of threats in our line of work, but few of them truly deserve to be called existential. The climate crisis does.”

-Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III

The NGOs Tackling Global Climate Change

It goes without saying that coordinating an international response to climate change between nations, each of which has its own interests to represent, is a massive undertaking.

That’s where special entities called non-governmental organizations NGOs – which typically focus on a particular philanthropic goal such as education for the developing world, hunger alleviation, and, of course, environmental advocacy — come into play:

“Environmental NGOs can play a crucial role in helping to plug gaps by conducting research to facilitate policy development, building institutional capacity, and facilitating independent dialogue with civil society to help people live more sustainable lifestyles.”

Specifically in the context of solar power, some of the key environmental NGO actors in this arena include:

• International Solar Energy Society (ISES)
• Global 100% Renewable Energy Campaign
• American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)
• Global Atlas for Renewable Energy
• Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition

What Will the Politics of Solar Power Look Like Moving Forward and What Can Average People Do to Speed the Green Energy Revolution?

Make no mistake: the fossil fuel industry is still well-entrenched in the political process; fully extricating is an uphill effort that will take years and perhaps decades. No industry — least of all one as well-bankrolled in its lobbying efforts as the oil and gas sector — disappears overnight.

The momentum that powers the shift, as any positive change does, will occur from the bottom up. The civil rights struggles of past eras proved that a well-organized base of dedicated citizens can force dramatic change – even when facing entrenched interests opposed to those changes.

Writing for De Ethica. A Journal of Philosophical, Theological and Applied Ethics, Tim Christion Myers explains:

“Given the global track record of the past two decades, it’s become clear that such changes have to be instigated and enforced by a politically organized populous willing to keep powerful interests in check. The totalizing nature of climate change necessitates empowered and clear-sighted democracies like never before, and this in turn requires the kind of moral force that underlies all mass movements later generations recognize as historical in scope.”

The burden is on each of us to do what we can. Together, with our individual efforts taken in totality, we can move mountains (and re-green the planet).

Accordingly, here are a few tips that everyday Florida residents can take to become an active part of the solar solution from a political perspective:

• Donate, if possible, to green energy movements that can compete with legacy oil and gas lobbying
• Volunteer with any of the above-cited solar NGOs advancing the industry
• Prioritize support for any political candidate, from the local to the national level, running on a platform that includes the green energy transition
• “Vote with your dollars,” as the saying goes. Switch, to the extent possible, your energy consumption from fossil fuels to solar power and other green technologies.

We can help with the last one. Contact Compass Solar to learn about the cost-saving, Earth-friendly solar technologies we deliver to Northwest Florida residents.

Our driving mission at Compass Solar is not only to deliver, install, and service the most cutting-edge solar panels on the market on behalf of our clients in Northwest Florida – it’s also to do our part to preserve the only Earth that we’ve got.

Protecting the Earth from environmental catastrophe and preserving it for future generations requires (among other actions) that we kick our addiction to harmful fossil fuels and replace them with renewable energy sources.

The good news on this front is that saving on your monthly energy bills with solar panels also helps to save the Earth by tapping into the power of the sun, its one true renewable resource.

Here, we’ll explore the one inescapable reality that deserves more attention: the sun is the only truly renewable energy source we’ve got.

The topics we’ll survey here include:

·       What renewable energy is (and isn’t)

·       Why wind power and hydropower aren’t actually renewable after all

·       The sun is an ample source of endless energy just waiting to be fully tapped

·       Why local Northwest Florida residents should go with Compass Solar for all their solar power needs

First, What Does ‘Renewable Energy’ Mean Exactly?

Most laypeople have a vague idea of what renewable energy is (and what it isn’t). But, understandably (because they’re not in the industry), if you press them for greater details, they tend to get hazy on the specifics.

For example, almost everyone understands that fossil fuels – the limited products of millions and sometimes hundreds of millions of years of processing which must be drilled for and extracted from deep within the Earth’s surface – do not meet any of the criteria for “renewable energy.”

But what about two of the Earth’s primary elements: wind and water? (Children of the 90s kids will have flashbacks to Saturday mornings spent glued to the TV with Captain Planet).

Wind and water seem renewable, right? Well, they’re certainly superior to fossil fuels in terms of their environmental impacts – at least for now. However, for reasons we’ll explore now, they’re not quite “renewable,” nor are they as harmless as we might believe.

Why Wind Power and Hydropower Aren’t Actually Renewable

Alongside solar, wind power and hydropower have gained considerable interest among conservation-minded consumers. The industries have grown to meet soaring demand, with new technologies emerging to dramatically scale up the capture and transformation of these natural forces into usable energy.

At first glance, those might seem like great developments for the creation of a truly green economy. But there is serious cause for concern.

While it’s true that wind power (harnessing natural airflows over the Earth’s surface and transforming it into usable energy via windmills and other technologies) and hydropower (harnessing water flows to transform them into usable energy) don’t emit carbon dioxide (CO2) and therefore don’t contribute to the greenhouse effect, increasing numbers of physicists and geologists do see potential trouble on the horizon.

For example, heed the warning of Axel Kleidon of the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany – just one of many who have voiced their concerns publicly in recent times:

“Efforts to satisfy a large proportion of our energy needs from the wind and waves will sap a significant proportion of the usable energy available from the sun. In effect… we will be depleting green energy sources [based on] the laws of thermodynamics, which point inescapably to the fact that only a fraction of the solar energy reaching Earth can be exploited to generate energy we can use.”

Kleidon is working on research into what he and other physicists call “free energy” – that is, energy that can be harnessed and used in the Earth’s system. The amount of free energy that can be exploited through wind and hydropower is actually finite, not limitless.

At the present time, the working estimate among Kleidon and his colleagues is that humans utilize about 5-10% of the total available free energy, which already adds up, as he notes, to more than all of the Earth’s natural processes combined (volcanoes, earthquakes, etc.).

That number will inevitably rise as the scale of wind and hydropower ramp up in the coming years and decades in the transition period away from fossil fuels.

The bottom line as summed up by Kleidon:

“Large-scale exploitation of wind energy will inevitably leave an imprint in the atmosphere. Because we use so much free energy, and more every year, we’ll deplete the reservoir of energy.”

In addition to dwindling supplies of free energy caused by mass-exploitation of wind and hydropower, the predicted fallout for the environment could rival that of fossil fuel-induced climate change – which would obviously lead us back to square one by recreating the original problem that the new technologies intended to solve.

The Sun Is an Ample Source of Endless Energy Just Waiting to Be Tapped

It’s not all gloom and doom. One obvious possibility is to engineer new technologies or – better yet – tap into the Earth’s natural potentials to increase free energy reserves.

One solution proposed by enterprising researchers is to increase the vegetation on the Earth’s surface, in turn boosting photosynthesis (the botanical conversion of sunlight into energy):

“Photosynthesis also generates free energy, but without producing waste heat. Increasing the fraction of the Earth covered by light-harvesting vegetation – for example, through projects aimed at ‘greening the deserts’ – would mean more free energy would get stored.”

Another is to develop the capacity of photovoltaic (PV) cells – the kinds used in Compass Solar panels – to capture radiation from the sun that is usually “lost” energy (meaning that we aren’t yet capable of capturing it):

“Photovoltaic solar cells can also increase the amount of free energy gathered from incoming radiation, though there are still major obstacles to doing this sustainably.”

Regardless of the exact path forward, one thing is indisputable: the sun’s energy (and new tools to utilize it) will be an integral part of the solution.

Become Part of the True Renewable Energy Solution With Compass Solar

Compass Solar is one of a small handful of regional Northwest Florida companies fully equipped with an in-house team – from our sales department right down to our engineers and installation crew.

This means no hassles with third-party contractors that you might have to deal with when you hire the other guys.

Our crew has more than two decades of combined experience equipping satisfied customers with cost-saving solar panels with the sterling reputation to prove it.

As a discerning and intelligent homeowner in a sunny state, you may understandably wonder if solar panels would be worth the cost of installation. You may see more and more neighbors installing solar panels and wonder if you should too.

Perhaps, you want to go ‘off-grid,’ be more environmentally conscious, save on energy bills, increase your home value, or just heat your swimming pool. 

You may wonder if solar panels offer a return on investment. Are they a smart choice? Will they provide all of your energy needs? Do they increase the market value of your property or decrease it? 

Let’s explore the cost-effectiveness of solar panels, including the results of an exciting new study that sheds new light on the topic. 

A Comprehensive First-Of-Its-Kind Study

In an article in The Appraisal Journal by Sandra Adomatis and Ben Hoen, published in 2015, entitled ‘Appraising into the Sun: Six-State Solar Home Paired-Sales Analysis,’ the authors sought to create the first paired sales analysis for solar panels. They found that, at the time, comparable sales data was lacking as many homes didn’t have solar panels installed in neighborhoods. As a result,  appraisers couldn’t do accurate comparisons and this data was often left out in home valuations. This was problematic for encouraging homeowners to make the important step of going solar.

They observed:

“This first-of-its-kind study uses appraisal methods to evaluate sale price premiums for owned PV systems on single-unit detached houses across six states that were also evaluated in a large statistical study. …The appraised premiums agree with statistical modeling results, which bolsters the suitability of both approaches for estimating PV home premiums.” (Adomatis and Hoen, 2015, p.27)

Adomatis and Hoen note, “On average, PV systems (all of which were less than 12 years old) garnered premiums in each of the six states, with an average of $3.78/W” (2015, p.38). Overall, solar is a smart choice and does provide a return on investment.

The key points of the study, which specifically focused on California, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, and Oregon, were that solar panels added more value than the cost of installation; solar added a 4% price increase of $10k increase in value for Florida homes; most of the solar panel systems on the market were around three to four years old, meaning that the PV systems are modern and effective; and homes with solar panels sold faster than those without. 

Is Solar Right for Me?

Solar energy not only saves you money but it also decreases American dependence on foreign energy sources. You can have freedom from the grid, power outages, and you could even be paid for your excess energy. If you’ve ever been subject to power outages during tropical storms and for other reasons, that might be a thing of the past. Plus, since the A/C energy bill is often people’s most dreaded bill in the summer, you can save hundreds of dollars each year on that one cost alone. 

Between 1984 and 2006, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics conducted a southern energy expenditure study which found that there was almost a 63% increase in the price of energy. They note, ‘As a result of the sharp jump in energy prices, Southern households were allocating 9.7 percent of total expenditures to energy consumption in 2006, up from a 7.2-percent share in 2002’ (2008, p.4). 

All this means that if energy used to cost $100 per month before, it now costs around $163 per month instead. Wouldn’t you like that extra $63 bucks in your pocket? If your average monthly power bill is around $200 with an average of 4% inflation rate each year, over the next 25 years, you’ll pay the power company over $120,000 (those $60 savings add up).

In June 2021, the average cost of energy in the US is $0.142 per kilowatt, which has increased steadily every year since 2011 (with no signs of going back down), but solar energy costs less than that and, once paid for, even less.

In June, we wrote a piece called ‘How do I know if solar is right for me?‘ We talk about the booming solar industry, the trend towards this movement (thankfully for the environment), how solar can be financed, how you can have solar installed if you live in a shady spot, and how to keep excess electricity with a backup battery. 

We also wrote a piece about going solar here (‘What is the process of going solar?’) and how the consultation, energy bill analysis, installation, and final walkthrough happen to put you at ease.

How Can I Save Money On My Installation?

There are three ways you can save money on solar panel installation (if you take advantage before the incentives end): Federal Solar Tax Credit, Residential Solar Tax Exemption, and Property Tax Exemption. 

Federal Solar Tax Credit

Florida homeowners are eligible for the Federal Solar Tax Credits, which reduces the cost of solar installation by 26% and has been extended to the end of 2022 (so act quickly). In 2023, the savings will be reduced to 22% and in December 2023, the program will end.

Residential Solar System Tax Exemption

Since July 1997, the Florida Solar and CHP Sales Tax Exemption allows you to purchase solar panels without paying the 6% tax. When spending money on large purchases, the additional sales tax can really add to the cost of the project, but when saving on sales tax, tax credits, and property value, the investment definitely makes sense. 

Property Tax Exemptions

If the first two incentives weren’t enough, homeowners (and businesses) can deduct a solar power system’s value from their property value for tax purposes. The additional value that solar panels add to your home will not count towards your tax assessed value (thankfully), which means you can increase your house value without increasing your property tax expenditure. 

So, Do Solar Panels Offer Competitive ROI, and Are They Worth the Cost?

We’d say resoundingly yes. Solar panels save you money each year on energy costs, make your home independent (not reliant on power-grid failure and inflation rates), help reduce environmental impact (you can feel good about doing your bit for the planet), and make your home more valuable and sell faster (if you plan to sell and move). Overall, solar panels and PV systems offer more value over time than they cost to install and that’s a smart choice!

Are you wondering “why go solar?” Are you curious about the impact residential solar power has on the environment? 

There are many reasons to switch to solar power, from reduced electric bills to electricity security. But, one of the main reasons is to reduce the number of nonrenewable energy sources used daily. 

In the United States, the electric power sector is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, clocking in at 28%. When you use solar panels instead of traditionally generated electricity, you can dramatically make an impact on the environment. 

How Does Solar Power Work? 

Installig solar panels on your home is easier than you may think!

The first step in getting solar panels is to inspect your roof. Make sure there are no damaged shingles or areas with mold. Finding these and fixing them earlier in the process will save you money in the long run. 

Then, decide on the solar panels you want. There are 3 main types of solar panels to choose from: 

• Monocrystalline
• Polycrystalline
• Thin-fim

Each of these have pros and cons to help you reach your energy-saving goals. 

Monocrystalline panels are made from a singular silicon crystal to absorb the solar energy. They look sleek and are high-efficiency, but also come at a higher cost. 

Polycrystalline panels on the other hand are a cheaper option and are a bit lower efficiency. They are made from fragments of silicon crystals and melted together. 

Thin-film panels are the most notably different, as they are made from a variety of materials. As the name implies, they are thin and lightweight, but have a much lower efficiency than mono or polycrystalline panels. 

When sunlight hits the panels, solar cells in the panels begin warming up. This gets the electrons, the positively charged cells, flowing within the panels. The flow creates an electrical current.

The electrical current created by the excited electrons is detected by wiring on the panels. This is when the electricity is created and transferred to your building. All the electrical currents from the solar panels are combined to power your home!

Benefits of Solar Power

Wihen it comes to solar power, panel installation is the trickiest part! When the sun begins to shine on your home’s panels, energy is organically generated. This is beneficial because now you no longer need to rely on fossil fuels like petroleum to power your home!

Using fossil fuels may not like sound a big deal, as homeowners have been using them for decades to power their homes. But, each time electricity is used in your home, power companies must burn fossil fuels, releasing carbon dioxide. 

Going solar instead of using fossil fuels is such a big deal that users receive rebates and incentives. Both federal and state governments offer tax credits to solar users, and some municipalities and utility companies may offer cash rebates. 

You also reap the benefits of solar power in your monthly electric bill. When you are not using power from the electric company, you don’t have to worry about paying them for your power! This could be a savings of hundreds of dollars every year. 

For this reason, when you install solar panels on your home, your property also increases in value. For those looking for an eco-friendly and cheaper month-to-month home, yours will be the obvious choice. 

Environmental Benefits of Going Solar

If earning and saving money is not enough of an incentive, helping save the Earth might be. 

When powerful gases such as carbon dioxide released into the air, air pollution is created. Air pollution makes it harder to breathe and may contribute to greenhouse gases, reportedly a cause of a warming climate. 

Cutting back on your consumption of nonrenewable resources like fossil fuels makes a difference in how much carbon dioxide is in the air. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average household emits approximately 20 metric tons of carbon pollution yearly. When you go solar, you decrease that amount by three tons. 

Though reducing carbon emissions sounds like only one specific goal is accomplished, the environmental impacts are significant.

When less carbon is in the air, you can breathe easily. Fewer air pollutants means you are less likely to develop bronchitis and other respiratory issues. This is because there are fewer irritants in the air to breathe in. 

Plants and animals reap these benefits, too. They are less likely to get sick from noxious gases. When they can carry out their normal functions, the environment flourishes. 

One heavily debated topic is that of carbon dioxide’s contribution to a warming climate. The dangers of a warming climate are more extreme weather patterns and changing temperatures. When each of these factors comes into play, no member of an ecosystem can properly carry out their daily functions. 

If plants, animals, and humans are all worried about if they’re going to have enough oxygen supply to breathe well, then they cannot perform their normal tasks. 

Still Wondering “Why Go Solar?”

Are you still asking yourself “why go solar?” Considering looking into companies that help you every step of the way. 

Many businesses offer financing so you can pay for your solar panels on your time. They’ll also help you decide which solar panels will work best in your space and how to reap the benefits of solar power in other areas of your home as well! 

Check out our Contact page to get a free solar quote and talk with us about your solar power vision.

Did you know that the world’s most ample source of energy is actually solar, not natural gas or petroleum? Surprising, isn’t it?

To put things into perspective, the sun delivers a consistent 173,000~ watts of solar energy daily. That amount of energy is much more (about 10,000 times) than what the world currently uses. 

But the concept of solar energy is a bit of a tricky one. Chances are you’ve seen solar panels on the tops of homes or buildings and found yourself wondering “how do solar panels work?”

In this post, we’ll be explaining how solar energy and solar panels work, as well as some benefits of using solar energy.

How Does Solar Energy Work?

Solar energy is one of the world’s few sources of renewable energy. A renewable energy source is any type of energy that the world can constantly use without fear of running out of resources. Some other types of renewable energy sources are wind, hydro, and geothermal energy.

The Sun acts as a continuous stream of energy for our planet. The Sun is fundamentally just a huge ball of hot, flaming gas called a star. Like all other stars, the Sun creates energy through a process called nuclear fusion.

This process then releases a huge amount of heat and light that will eventually reach our planet’s atmosphere. The heat and light produced from the sun come in tight little packages called photons. These photons reach the Earth in merely minutes, despite us being about 90 million miles away from the Sun. 

Thus, the Sun proves to be the quickest and most efficient source of energy for life on Earth.

The Structure of Solar Panels

Before knowing how solar panels can collect energy from the sun, it’s important to have a basic understanding of how solar panels are structured. Solar panels are made up of numerous amounts of small photovoltaic (PV) cells. Photovoltaic simply means that these cells convert sunlight energy into electricity. 

The most common material used to make photovoltaic cells is silicon. Silicon is a semiconductor, and one of the most widely available elements on Earth. For solar cells to work, silicon is placed between two layers of conductive material. 

The specific makeup of a single solar cell is rather complex. Simply put, there are actually two layers of silicon in a solar cell with a negative side and one positive side. When energy from the sun hits these layers, the energy flows through the negative and positive ends.

How Do Solar Panels Work

Now that you know how solar panels are made, we can now look at the science of solar panels.  First, sunlight hits the solar panel which causes an electric current to generate and for electrons in the solar cell to get knocked around.

Think of the whole solar panel as sort of a pool table. The sunlight is the white ball, and the negative electrons in the solar cells are the colored and striped balls.

The electrons in the solar cell are designed in a way to bounce to a specific direction, much like how pool balls are supposed to go in holes. This is an energy current. When electrons hit one of the metal plates, the current is directed into wires similar to other sources of electricity. 

Next, the current is funneled from the wires into an inverter. The inverter converts direct current electricity (DC) into alternating current electricity (AC). Solar energy itself creates DC, but most houses and buildings need AC to function properly. 

The AC then moves to your home or building’s breaker box and supplies energy to rooms the way any other source of electricity would. Excess energy from solar panels flows into a grid. If more energy is needed (such as nighttime), buildings and homes draw energy from the grid as well.

Benefits of Solar Panels

As a homeowner, you might be wondering if solar panels are right for you. Here are some of the benefits of solar panels that you may be interested in knowing about.

1. Solar energy is clean

Solar energy, as mentioned earlier, is a renewable resource. This means that there is no need to exploit the Earth for its resources when looking for energy. Additionally, solar panels reduce emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that come from power plants.

2. Solar energy is affordable

One of the primary questions people have about solar energy is whether it’s expensive or not. You’d be happy to know that recent technology has actually reduced the upfront cost of installations by about 25%! However, the overall cost of installing solar panels is different for everyone. 

3. Solar energy is reliable

When hurricanes and other natural disasters wipe out electricity, you can rely on solar energy to power your home or building. Solar energy is an efficient backup supply of energy. 

Visit here to learn more about the benefits of solar panels.

Installing solar panels

Solar panels are typically attached to roofs via stainless steel mounts and sealed with polyurethane. Did you know that installing solar panels can actually increase the strength of your current roof? 

Wires are then run through solar panels into the inverter. The inverter is generally placed right next to the pre-installed circuit breaker in your home or building.

While installing solar panels might seem like it would benefit your home, the installation of solar panels is best left to certified professionals. At Solar Compass, we’ve provided top-notch solar design and installation in Florida ever since 1998. Our team of specialists in photovoltaic solar panels will not disappoint you with their work. 

Solar Compass offers service to both commercial and residential customers. Both commercial and residential customers are eligible for our financing plans as well. Our services are compliant with federal, state, and local government regulations.  So don’t hesitate to give us a call with any questions you might have. 

A Brighter Future with Solar Panels

Now that you’re no longer wondering how do solar panels work, are you interested in installing some for your home? Solar panels are a great way to reduce harmful emissions and are a great investment.

If you’re wanting to install solar panels, then feel free to give us a call or visit our contact page to get advice from an expert today!